for HDMI gaming... help please

Finally going to buy a new LED LCD HDTV, and had a couple questions about refresh rate. Is 120mhz good enough for gaming, or would I need something faster? A friend of mine has 60mhz and it "ghosts" a wee bit during fast moving scenes.

Also, what the hell is with HDMI cables? I see cheaper cables online for peanuts, but Monster cables promise "high speed" and cost a damn fortune. I looked at a cheaper HDMI cable at Best Buy, and the package said "provides 60mhz refresh", which obviously isn't good enough. The problem is: none of the other cables I look at even say how fast their data transfer is. So how do I know? Furthermore, what is the "high speed" rate that Monster cables promise? Ugh. I suck at this.

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#2Super CreaturesPosted 8/1/2011 11:39:31 AM

A 1.2 HDMI cable (I believe the standard the 360 uses, might be 1.3) is a 1.2 HDMI cable, regardless of if it costs $4 or $2500.

They either work or they don't.

As for the one with the "provides 60mhz refresh" on the package, it could be older packaging that was never updated when higher refresh rates were introduced, "shiny" packaging to attract the attention of people that look at stuff like that and go "oooohhh, shiny," or a cable that uses an older standard.---R.I.P. Eve English (Feb. 12, 1968 - Oct. 13, 2010)Momma Eve, you will be missed.

#3b2trumpetPosted 8/1/2011 11:40:21 AM

All HDMI cables are basically the same. The Monster ones are a rip off. Just get a $10 HDMI cable at Best Buy or wherever. It doesn't need to be fancy to get the good picture.

#4secondhand1Posted 8/1/2011 11:43:35 AM

ChiliPup posted...Finally going to buy a new LED LCD HDTV, and had a couple questions about refresh rate. Is 120mhz good enough for gaming, or would I need something faster? A friend of mine has 60mhz and it "ghosts" a wee bit during fast moving scenes.

Also, what the hell is with HDMI cables? I see cheaper cables online for peanuts, but Monster cables promise "high speed" and cost a damn fortune. I looked at a cheaper HDMI cable at Best Buy, and the package said "provides 60mhz refresh", which obviously isn't good enough. The problem is: none of the other cables I look at even say how fast their data transfer is. So how do I know? Furthermore, what is the "high speed" rate that Monster cables promise? Ugh. I suck at this.

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120hz provides no advantage over 60hz for gaming. None. If your friend has ghosting, something else is going on. It isn't the refresh rate.

HDMI is HDMI. Buy the cheapest one you can find on monoprice.---Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope.

#5CapwnDPosted 8/1/2011 11:52:49 AM

Doesn't the 240mhz displays just mean that it can enable Cinemotion and Motion flow? That is the exact opposite of what you want.

You need to disable that crap, and disable any "auto" enhancements. Turn on game mode if it has a game mode. Or try picture mode or text mode.---I live in a constant state of Deja Vu. Didn't I mention this once before?

#6ChiliPup(Topic Creator)Posted 8/1/2011 11:56:47 AM

secondhand1 posted...120hz provides no advantage over 60hz for gaming. None. If your friend has ghosting, something else is going on. It isn't the refresh rate.

HDMI is HDMI. Buy the cheapest one you can find on monoprice.

^ I don't think I'm willing to buy that. Everything I read says otherwise. Resolution may be the same, but image movement is directly affected by the mhz rate. It's kind of equivalent to "framerate" of a game. It makes the difference between a stuttering image and lifelike movement. But thanks for the reply.

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#7secondhand1Posted 8/1/2011 12:12:31 PM

ChiliPup posted...secondhand1 posted...120hz provides no advantage over 60hz for gaming. None. If your friend has ghosting, something else is going on. It isn't the refresh rate.

HDMI is HDMI. Buy the cheapest one you can find on monoprice.

^ I don't think I'm willing to buy that. Everything I read says otherwise. Resolution may be the same, but image movement is directly affected by the mhz rate. It's kind of equivalent to "framerate" of a game. It makes the difference between a stuttering image and lifelike movement. But thanks for the reply.

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There's nothing to buy. Panel refresh rate isn't the only thing that goes into delivering a great picture. LCDs have to also deal with response times. Better sets have better response times which is why top end LCDs running at 120hz handle motion better than entry level 120hz models. Plasma doesn't have to deal with response times and as such, will always handle motion better than an LCD, even though they run at 60hz.

So no, panel refresh rate alone does not make a difference for games. Where it will make a difference is viewing 24p content. A 60hz set has to employ a 3:2 pull down, introducing judder, while a 120hz set will give you a true 5:5 pull down.---Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope.

#8ChiliPup(Topic Creator)Posted 8/1/2011 12:30:06 PM(edited)

secondhand1 posted...There's nothing to buy. Panel refresh rate isn't the only thing that goes into delivering a great picture. LCDs have to also deal with response times. Better sets have better response times which is why top end LCDs running at 120hz handle motion better than entry level 120hz models. Plasma doesn't have to deal with response times and as such, will always handle motion better than an LCD, even though they run at 60hz.

So no, panel refresh rate alone does not make a difference for games. Where it will make a difference is viewing 24p content. A 60hz set has to employ a 3:2 pull down, introducing judder, while a 120hz set will give you a true 5:5 pull down.

^ Thanks for the info. That helps with the tv-specific question. But I'm also wondering how much a cheaper HDMI cable can hinder the performance of a high end LCD, if any. I mean, take an oustanding bluray player, and run it to an oustanding television, but use a crappy rca composite cable, and you have massive degradation. If one HDMI cable says, on the box, that it can only handle a 60mhz refresh rate, and another HDMI cable promises 120mhz refresh, it would seem to me that there would be a difference in final picture movement quality, no matter how great the tv is. Am I wrong?

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#9WinternovaPosted 8/1/2011 12:29:23 PM

ChiliPup posted...secondhand1 posted...120hz provides no advantage over 60hz for gaming. None. If your friend has ghosting, something else is going on. It isn't the refresh rate.

HDMI is HDMI. Buy the cheapest one you can find on monoprice.

^ I don't think I'm willing to buy that. Everything I read says otherwise. Resolution may be the same, but image movement is directly affected by the mhz rate. It's kind of equivalent to "framerate" of a game. It makes the difference between a stuttering image and lifelike movement. But thanks for the reply.

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The HDMI is HDMI is correct - there's no difference between cables with the same standard. It's not an analog signal, it either gets to its destination or it doesn't.---http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMKUUUvjjzoFan of: Steelers(AFC Champs), Red Wings(Central Champs)

#10ChiliPup(Topic Creator)Posted 8/1/2011 12:31:19 PM

Winternova posted...The HDMI is HDMI is correct - there's no difference between cables with the same standard. It's not an analog signal, it either gets to its destination or it doesn't.

^ I know that. I'm talking about the refresh speed at which it "gets there". Am I the only one who has noticed different refresh rates on HDMI cables?

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